Chapter 504: All Secrets be Damned_Mark of the Fool

Chapter 504: All Secrets be Damned

 The ck skies of Tenebrama were heavy with the sound of demonic wings sweeping across them.

 In the darkness, monsters raged at one another, screeching curses and threats in their demonic tongues.

 Interlopers! How dare you defile our domain! a deep, thunderous voice boomed through the ck. Whatever was speaking, sounded big. You have destroyed our sacred Fountain, but even without it, your puny lives will still end in sacrifice!

 As it spoke, the burning light in the distance red, growing for a brief time.

 Oooooh shit! Thundars voice came from the darkness.

 Flying demons were everywhere. Pazuzites. Eyeless, xyrthak-like things. Enormous beings all tentacles and eyes. Bat-winged, horned, warriors bearing weapons of utter darkness.

 They came in all shapes and sizes.

 They came from all sides.

 They swarmed like locusts.

 And all were looking right at Alex and hispanions as they flew toward the extraction point.

 Alexs mind raced. Everyone! Drop your ropes and Ill stop our invisibility with the staff! he shouted, instantly cancelling his own invisibility, the light from the staff red. We need to be able to see each other! Light up the skies, fight for your lives! We

 The words died on his lips.

 An immense surge of mana was growing, building, releasing close by.

 What in bleedin hells is doin that? Cedrics voice was tense. Drestra?

 Alex turned from the demons.

 His breath caught.

 Hispanions were now visible, hovering in the dark. But all were watching one Hero.

 Every pair of eyes were transfixed on the Sage of Uldar.

 Drestrafor the first time since Alex had known herhad removed her veil. And beneath the cloth? A wide mouth full of enormous, sparkling fangs sat between taut lips. Reptilian eyes burned with an inner light andas she dropped the rope from her waistorange radiance red behind those teeth.

 Her mana surged once moreand she began to grow.

 First, her crackling voice changed, dropping lower and deeper until it was the rumble and roar of an erupting mountain. Her clothing melded with her skin, disappearing as flesh rippled and twisted in shape.

 Drestras limbs stretched.

 ws sprouted from fingers already the size of tree branches.

 Bones cracked. Flesh tore and shifted.

 Her face lengthened, eyes grew as horns sprouted from her skull, dark hair merged with flesh. Deep red scales sprouted from smooth skin. A thick, spiked tail emerged beneath a pair of vast, bat-like wings.

 Grimloch and ygon had always been thergest members of their group, butin heartbeatsDrestra of Crymlyn swamp dwarfed the entire teambined. When her transformation wasplete, she was greater in size than a trebuchetdened with massive stones.

 More ferocious than any Ravener-spawn.

 And the heat she was radiating?

 Surpassed that of Vesuvius many times over.

 Alexs mind tried to ept what he was seeing: demons surrounded them, hed seen mana vampires, Ravener-spawn, and other creatures of legend. Hed seen enough magical creatures to fill many lifetimes.

 But, nothing had prepared him for this; the shock of seeing a dragoneven more shockingly one who was a friendin the flesh for the first time in his life.

 For that was what she undeniably was.

 Drestra of Crymlyn Swamp, the Sage of Uldar, had assumed her true form.

 Her true form as a dragon.

 Red scalesyered her body, with thinner ck ones covering her neck and belly. The golden staff that was the Mark of the Sage zed on the side of her neck. Ridges ran down her back. A duo of curving horns swept back from her skull. Her thick tail whipped the air, sheathed in spikes toward its tip and capped by an enormous spear-de of bone which looked like it could slice a demon in half, or pierce a castle gate.

 The only features that remained the same were her reptilian eyes: the same golden orbs that had always framed her face.

 Dont just gawk, stop them! A demon roared from the dark.

 The Sages draconic eyes flicked toward the voice. Air shimmered around parted jaws, coral-red light built within her maw. Grey smoke and acrid gas hissed between sword-shaped fangs. Venom dripped on ck sand.

 And Thundar gaped. This is the coolest damn thing Ive ever seen, he murmured.

 No argument, Alex whispered.

 And then the dark skies burned bright.

 A cone of me erupted from her throat, raking the air, consuming a horde of oing demons. Her long neck swept to the side, me scorching flocks of charging monsters. Dragon-fire burned hot, turning the smaller fiends to ash while setting therger ones ame like torches.

 In a heartbeat, the darkness Tenebramas demons lived under was gone, reced by fire and smoke. Demons flinched away, trying to escape its reach.

 And Alex remembered a conversation hed had with Khalik long ago:

 and then I found out what dragonfear is.

 The prince had ced his ss on the table and drawn arge, imaginary circle around it. Dragons have an aura around them of supernatural fear, and the older they get, the stronger it grows. The fear prates the mind and infests the heart. Not fear from within Hed pointed to his own chest. but fear from outside. Hed gestured around them. It is magical, and digs into the mind like a pickaxe.

 Now, Alex could observe firsthand what his friend had meant, and while he didnt feel the dragonfearthe demons certainly did.

 The dragon that was Drestra roared, and the demons turned, flying erratically in their scramble to escape. She roared again in ragewhether from the effect of the wrath-field or notAlex had no way of knowing, then a great beat of her wings sent her in pursuit. mes sted from between lips that twisted, casting spells.

 A tidal wave of mana washed into Alex, and the red and ck dragon shimmered, her form splitting into seven illusionary duplicates. Each breathed fire as oneand though only ones me was realthe figment drove demons away like hens fleeing a fox.

 Yet, bolder ones remained, roaring back challenges.

 An enormous fiend, a creature of mostly tentacles and eyes, soared at her, its tendrils sprouting spikes. She whipped her head toward it, mes extinguishing as she filled her chest with breath.

 A stream of acid poured free. Liquid hissed when it bathed the bold creature, sending it into shrieks, flesh boiling away until only a slurry was left to stter on the sand below.

 Stay away from the fumes! Drestra roared, her crackling voice thundering. They bring death! Fly! Fly away my friends! Fly!

 And those words snapped Alex and hispanions back from astonishment.

 You heard her! he shouted, raising his staff. Get to the portal and support her with everything youve got!

 Understoodfather. ygon raised his upper arms, palms pointed forward. His fire-beamsnced the horde of demons, striking those closest to Drestra as she winged through the sky, then he shot up after her. Icannot be harmed by inhaled poisons. I will protect you, Drestra.

 The golem mmed into a flock of pazuzitesrage driving their attack in spite of dragonfearcleaving them apart with his war-spear. His fists struck the creatures with each swing, spurring hispanions into action.

 Hart and Theresa drew their bows, hands blurring,unching a flurry of bolts into the horde. Isolde called on lightning, and Cedrics morphic weapon changed form, bing a bow.

 Uldar, bless with me wit arrows o light to smite all o these demons! he prayed, forming a string and arrows of light, finishing off creatures struck by Isoldes lightning.

 Thundars arms snapped out, raking demons with heavy force missiles as they closed in, cracking wings and skulls, sending the creatures plummeting. Prince Khalik flew beside himwith armour of steel and stone sheathing him, studded with glowing runes and quartz crystalshis spells whipping up the sand, transforming it into shards of ck ss.

 With a gesture, they streaked for the closest knot of fiends, shredding them like dry leaves.

 Alex waved his staff, casting haste magic on everyone.

 Drestra was first, and he smiled in satisfaction when all of a sudden, the dragons speed doubled, sending the demons into panic. Next, he cast the spell on the warriors; their attacks struck with even greater speed and precision. Lastly, he conjured swarms of Wizards Hands to fan around them, lighting up the dark and interfering with monsters, tossing them around.

 Some tumbled from the sky.

 While others tumbledright into Grimloch.

 Feeding frenzy! The sharkman bellowed, leading the group toward the extraction point as Drestra criss-crossed the sky, his jaws snapping demons apart as the team followed him. He wasughing now, and hisughter held both anger and relief. Roar with me! He shouted at the others.

 And Grimloch roared, a sound that hispanions joined with zeal. Every bit of anger created by the wrath-field was released into the demons.Their rage finally had somewhere to go.

 And Alexs Wizards Hands whirled demons out of his path like tops.

 Roaring together like a pack of behemoths, thepanions fought their way through the tide of monstersat first, tearing through them like Grimloch cutting through the sea. Soon though, since Tenebrama offered no ce to take cover and fight from, the demons amassed again, their numbers increasing, swarming, seeming endless.

 When the fiends began their rally, they came on hard.

 The skies filled with soaring, diving bodies.

 Demons began calling on their own magic, casting it down on the mortals.

 Drestra flew into the path of crimson lightning bolts, deflecting them, letting them run off her scales like water. She kept roaring, sending cones of me and war-spells onto the creatures, wreaking havoc through the horde.

 But they kept closing on them, trying to form a ring.

 And even the teams ferocious assault, and Drestras dragonfear could not keep them all at bay. Demons were edging closer, swooping in, ws, weapons, spells and venom ready. Their magics struck nearer.

 There it is! Grimloch bellowed. Theres our extraction point!

 Drestra roared louder, chanting a spell and as the air seemed to ripple, the dragon shot fire from her ws while me erupted from deep within her core.

 Alright then! Cedric shouted. Hold on, bash these bastards a bit longer! Were almos out!

 Alex flinched, expecting the Chosens words to conjure some hidden titan-sized demon from thin air. Some terrible final challenger theyd have to strike down when they were so close to escaping.

 but no titan appeared.

 And then Grimloch shouted the words they were all waiting to hear as he smashed a persistent demon with his maul, turning it to pulp. Were here! We made it!

 That means its almost celebration time! Thundarughed, sounding ted.

 Alex could feel something in the aira bit of teleportation magicas they approached a rock rise that resembled a twisted goblin: the extraction point.

 Forming a circle around it, they prepared to defend themselves from the demons weaving toward them.

 They are stopping! A massive demon raged in the sky. Kill them! They mustnt escape!

 And the monsters came for them from all sides.

 But Alex was already smiling.

 The moment theyd reached the extraction point, he could feel teleportation magic forming.

 Not today, demon, he said lightly. Maybe another day! Well actually, Ill probably never see you again! Bye, bye!

 And the portal opened beneath Alex and hispanionslike a great maw opening in mid-airit rose up, consuming each team member in one swoop.

 For an instant, the young, Thameish wizard was tumbling through space.

 And then he was in the cave where earlier, they had left the material ne for Tenebrama. The portal they hade through was gone, and in its ce, burnt a small, magical fire.

 Beside it, Najyah was perched on a stctite, while Brutus paced back and forth, sniffing the air, his whining filling the cave with their echoes.

 His snouts shot up, sniffing fasterthen he growled when an enormous dragon rose from a gate near Alex, the otherpanions soon followed.

 Shocked silence held the group in ce, the past moments sinking in. A feeling of great relief washed over Alex, blending with waves of emotional exhaustion. The wrath-field had been driving his heart to the limit, and now with its influence abruptly gone, a lethargy had seeped into his very bones and taken over.

 There was no question: anger was exhausting.

 He took a deep breath, steadying himself.

 And then Drestra started talking.

 So her voice rumbled through the cavern. ...we need to talk. Obviously.

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Chapter 504: All Secrets be Damned